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My hot apple cider is the perfect holiday beverage! Made with aromatic spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves, it will surely bring joy and warm you up!
My recipe for hot apple cider (aka mulled apple cider) is made with warmed fresh apple juice, fresh orange juice, and a delicious, winter-warming combination of festive mulling spices (cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and ginger). The result is a hot beverage that tastes like Christmas in a cup.
Mulled apple cider is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and year-end parties. Best of all, this recipe is straightforward to make and versatile. You make it in advance, adjust the spices to your taste, or even turn it into an adult-only treat!
And if you are the one responsible for the hot drinks this holiday season, you can also warm up your guests with the best pineapple skin tea, spiced milk tea, or creamy hot chocolate.
Ingredients
- Apple juice: It’s best to use homemade unsweetened apple juice. Alternatively, use store-bought unfiltered apple juice or apple cider.
- Oranges: You will need both orange juice and orange zest. You can also use lemons, clementines, or satsumas.
- Spices: I use a warming combination of whole spices: cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and fresh ginger. You can also switch up the spices with your favorites: nutmeg, cardamom, allspice berries, juniper berries, bay leaves, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, vanilla extract, or an opened vanilla bean.
- Water
- Spiked version: Optionally, for adults only, add rum (plain or spiced), bourbon, brandy, or even a little wine (like Madeira wine). You could also swap out some or all of the apple juice with alcoholic apple cider or use some apple brandy like Calvados.
See the printable recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make hot apple cider
Prepare the ingredients: First, wash and chop the apples, and then pass them through your juicer. Once juiced, sieve the apple juice to remove any leftover pulp and foam.
Blender method: Add the chopped apples and a little water to the blender. Blend, then strain through a cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or fine-mesh strainer. Check out all my top tips on how to make apple juice (manual method included).
Zest one of the oranges. Then, juice the oranges using your preferred method. You can check out my top 3 methods on how to juice oranges.
Make the hot apple cider: Add the apple juice, orange zest and juice, spices, ginger, and water to a large pot on the stove. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to medium-low. I recommend simmering for about 30 minutes.
The longer you simmer, the more intense the flavor will become, so give it a try once it’s boiled, and then continue to try every 5-10 minutes for up to an hour.
If you want a slightly less concentrated flavor, add a little more water. For an adult treat, add 1/4-1/2 cup of rum (or your preferred liquor) and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Once ready, strain the liquid into a teapot or serving pitcher. You can also keep it in the pot and ladle in tea cups, mugs, or glasses. Optionally, garnish the hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks, star anise, apple slices, orange slices, or orange twists. Enjoy hot!
FAQs
Yes, you can make it ahead of time as per the recipe and strain the liquid. Then store it in the fridge for 3-4 days, and reheat gently (only once) on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Alternatively, heat it in mugs in the microwave.
I prefer whole spices as they infuse the drink without making it grainy, but you can use ground spices. Use one teaspoon of ground cinnamon in place of one stick, a generous pinch of ground cloves instead of a whole clove, and some ginger powder or crispy ginger chips instead of fresh ginger. Allow the drink to settle a bit before serving so you don’t end up with sediment in your glasses.
You can use a crockpot on the “warm” setting or an insulated thermos and serve with a ladle. This Christmas drink looks lovely with all the spices and some slices of orange floating in a large crockpot.
Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Then, keep on the warming function when serving.
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If you try this hot apple cider recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Homemade Hot Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple juice best is freshly squeezed apple juice, or use unfiltered apple juice or apple cider
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup orange juice from 2 medium oranges
- 1 Tbsp orange zest from 1 orange
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
Instructions
- Wash and chop the apples, then pass them through your juicer. Sieve the apple juice to remove any leftover pulp and foam.If you're using a blender, add the chopped apples and a little water. Blend, then strain.
- Zest one of the oranges. Juice the oranges.
- In a large saucepan, add the apple juice, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. The longer you simmer, the more intense the flavor will become. Once it's boiled, taste it, and then continue to taste it every 5-10 minutes for up to an hour until you enjoy the flavor.Add a little more water for a less concentrated flavor. For an adult treat, add 1/4-1/2 cup of rum (or other liquor) and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
- Strain the hot apple cider and ladle it in tea cups, mugs, or glasses. Optionally garnish with apple slices, orange twists, or cinnamon sticks, and enjoy hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
